A Firing Offense (A Five Star Title)
by George P. Pelecanos

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Book Reviews of A Firing Offense (A Five Star Title)

Book Review: So sharp you'll cut yourself.............
Summary: 4 Stars

The first outing from George P. Pelecanos carries all the hallmarks of the author's later work - a wonderful ear for dialogue, an eye for absurd humour among the villany on show, flawless period detailing, and strong geographical and historical foundations. For once, the city of Washington, and its greek and african-american communities don't feel like background colour - they are an integral part of the characters and their lives, and the story could not exist outside their frame of reference.

The plot is a fairly straightforward attempt by advertising manager and former process server Nick Stefanos to find a missing fellow electronics store employee, leading to the discovery of drug distibution bankrolled from on high, and a suitably bleak and bloody climax, but none the worse for that. Our hero is sufficiently flawed to engage our interest, without descending into the bitterness and self-parody seen in some popular series, and he is supported by a backdrop of characters who also manage to successfully run the gauntlet between amusing and grotesque.

But its the richness of observation of biography and setting that reels you in - truly, God is in the details....... Beware however - you may find yourself revisiting parts of your record collection you thought long buried.

Cliche though it is, I'm afraid this made me go out and work my way sytematically through everything else he's written, and, good as this is, its some way behind his later work. Dip in a toe with this, and I suspect more than a few others will find themselves immersed in the deep water with me.

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